Paul's Melody
by CrystalizedFairy
Summary: Melody moves in with her father after not seeing him since she was a baby. Moving from a country like Russia to the Quilete reservation can be a little nerve-wracking. Good thing Paul is there to help her through it. No flames, please.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey people. This is my first time writing a Twilight story. Hopefully I'll do a good job on it and not lose inspiration like I did with my other stories. Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, just Melody and her dad. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

Melody's POV

I looked out the airplane window as we touched down in Forks, Washington. I had left my grandparents' house in Russia to move in with my dad. I had lived with my grandparents nearly all my life and they didn't let me visit my dad at all. At least they let me keep in touch with him or otherwise I wouldn't be coming home after so long. They weren't too happy about me leaving Russia, but at 16 years old I'm old enough to make my own decisions. It would be my first time coming to Washington State since my mom's death when I was two years old. I didn't consider my grandparents' mansion as my home; it was too empty to feel like a home. I jumped out my seat as the plane landed and grabbed my duffel bag. The flight attendants, in seeing my haste to get off the plane, grinned at me and held open the door.

The plane terminal was filled with people rushing around, all trying to get to where they need to go. I walked towards baggage claim to try and find my dad. He had sent me some blurry pictures of himself by email so that I would recognize him when he came to pick me up. As I neared my goal, I saw someone holding up a white sign with blurred letters on it. Walking closer, I saw that that someone was my dad Richard and those blurred letters spelled my name, Melody Jones. With him were another man and two teenagers, who I'm assuming are his kids. The girl was texting and the boy was looking around the room. He looked up as I walked towards them and alerted his dad, who shook my dad's arm and pointed to me. My dad put down his sign and watched me walk to them. I stopped in front of him and we stared at each other.

"Hello Melody," he said after a while. He had a deep voice and dark brown eyes. His black hair was long and tied back in a low ponytail, and he had a dark russet complexion several shades darker than my olive tone. He was smiling, and his eyes held a spark as he looked at me.

"It's good to see you in person."

"You too, Dad," I said. His smile grew wider and he pulled me in for a hug. I squeezed him back, glad for the safety of his embrace. He released me and turned towards the man behind him.

"Melody, this is my friend Harry Clearwater and his two kids Seth and Leah. Leah is 19 and Seth is 14, so you're stuck in the middle. We're going to head over to their place for dinner. Their mom Sue is making spaghetti," Dad said, smiling at me. In our corresponding emails I told him about my love of Italian food and one embarrassing incident involving meatballs, a wooden spoon and my grandfather's leather coat.

The drive to La Push took over an hour due to traffic. Once we got off the highway Dad floored the pedal and sped down the street. I laughed at the sudden acceleration, receiving odd looks from Seth and Leah. "My car in Russia would've broken down by now. It went at a snail's pace, it was that old," I explained. Leah's lips twitched and Seth grinned. He was a pretty cool kid to be around. We talked about the school on the reservation, his friends, and life on the reservation in general. After a while we stopped talking and I looked out the window. I looked at the trees and saw a flash of brown with a tail run by.

"There are wolves here?" I asked in excitement. Seth leaned towards the window.

"Yeah. They don't normally come out during the day, but you can hear them at night sometimes," he said, giving me a sidelong glance. "You like wolves?"

"I love wolves. I love taking pictures of them. I'm really into photography and whenever my neighbors took me camping, I would bring along my equipment in case I got a glimpse of them. I brought my equipment with me so I can show you the pictures later if you want," I said. Seth smiled at me and nodded at my offer.

We arrived at the Clearwater house shortly afterwards. It was a small two story house with grey shutters and a single car garage. The lawn was neat and had been recently cut from the smell of it. The mailbox was closed shut and had the houses' address written in black letters. I left my suitcases in the trunk of the car and followed Seth inside. It was warm inside due to a broken air conditioning unit Seth told me. There was heavenly smell coming from the kitchen and it was then that I realized that I hadn't eaten on the plane ride here. My stomach growled in hunger and Seth and I laughed in unison. We followed Leah to the kitchen table and I sat down while Seth set the table. He made me laugh by pretending to wait on me and talk to me in a funny voice.

Dinner passed by without any problems. Sue Clearwater grilled me with questions about Russia, how old I was, and about my childhood in Russia. She seemed very interested in my grandparents and how they were. I tried to avoid the topic and said as little as possible. Seeing how uncomfortable I was with the subject Sue went to the kitchen and brought out dessert. Harry took us home when I started yawning and promised to come back tomorrow. Dad showed me to my room and left me with my bags. I fished my pajamas, toothbrush, and toothpaste from my suitcase and went to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. I emerged minutes later, shut the lights off in my room, and crashed onto the bed.

Before I slipped into a deep sleep, I thought about today, about how warm and inviting the Clearwaters had been. They were entirely different from my rich grandparents and their wealthy socialite friends. I found thinking I could get used to this change of pace.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello everyone! I'm glad I got some reviews on the first chapter. Hopefully I'll get some more with this one? (Hint hint) I don't own Twilight, just Melody and her dad._

**Chapter 2**

Melody's POV

_Dearest Grandmother,_

_It's been a week since I moved in with Dad. His friend Harry Clearwater has come by every day after work to help me get settled in. His son Seth comes sometimes and helps me unpack my photography stuff in the basement, even though I have to tell him where everything goes. Seth mainly comes after school's over to help me unpack. We sometimes go to the beach here to relax and trade stories about our childhoods. It's been a little chilly for September here, but we don't mind. He's been a good friend to me this past week, though we don't spend a lot of time together. Hopefully that'll change when I start school. I miss you and Grandfather very much. It's too warm for me here; I'll get used to the climate eventually. How's Kate's leg? Has it gotten better? Is she out of the hospital yet? Tell her I'm praying for her quick recovery and that I miss her. _

_With love,_

_Melody_

_P.S. - I've been having these weird dreams where I'm being chased by wolves and they catch me, but don't hurt me. What do you think it means?_

I folded the letter and stuck it in an envelope ready to be mailed. I didn't mention to Grandmother that the wolves in my dreams are the size of grizzly bears. That would set her off and she would be on the next plane to Washington in a heartbeat.

Dad was out fishing with Harry and Chief Charlie Swan. He didn't tell me when he was going to get back so I was alone in the house for the time being. I walked outside to put the letter in the mailbox. As I got there, I saw Seth down the street with three other boys. I called his name and waved. He waved back and headed over to where I was, the boys following him. He ran the last few feet and skidded to a stop just in front of me. I laughed at him and gave him a hug. "Hey Seth. What's up?"

"Hey Mel. I was just telling the guys about you," he said.

"Now I know I'm fabulous, but it's hardly fair that these guys know more about me than I do about them," I said, pretending to be flattered. One of the boys laughed at my expression.

"Oh, you're absolutely right," Seth said. "Melody, this is Jacob, Quil, and Embry." He pointed to each boy as he said their name. Quil was the shortest of the trio, with super short hair. Embry was slender with chin-length hair and was stuck in the middle, height-wise. Embry's name reminded me of embers used for fires. Jacob was the tallest of the three. His long black hair was tied back and when he smiled his white teeth stood out on his dark skin.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said, shaking their hands. Quil held onto my hand a bit longer than necessary, but I ignored it.

"Likewise. We heard you from Russia," Jacob said. I nodded.

"Yup. I lived there with my grandparents since I was two. It's nice to have some time with my dad, since I haven't seen him physically in 14 years."

"How old are you?" Embry asked.

"I'm 16 years old."

"So are we. Sorry Seth," Jacob said. "Looks like you're the youngest one here." Seth shrugged. He seemed a little miffed by that fact. I looked at Jacob.

"So what are you boys up to?" I asked.

"We were just heading down to First Beach and we wanted to see if Seth wanted to come with us. You can come along too, if you want," Jacob said. Seth perked up visibly.

"Isn't it a little cold to go swimming? And don't you guys have homework to do?" I asked. They all laughed.

"You sound like Sue," Jacob said. I blushed, but held my ground.

"We'll do our homework later, Melody. Please," Seth said, giving me puppy eyes. _Don't give in, don't give in,_ I said to myself, but it was no use. I caved.

"Oh alright, but only for an hour. I have a few more things to unpack, but they can wait until later," I said. I went inside the house and wrote a quick note to Dad telling him where I was and what time I was going to be home in case he beat here. After the note was finished, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. I didn't have a car and Jacob's Rabbit wouldn't be ready for a while yet so we had to walk to First Beach. I didn't mind. I was glad for the exercise. In Russia I was on a gymnastics team and we would be in the gym for hours on end with few breaks. My body was a little weak from the lack of routine.

"So Melody," Quil said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "What was your life in Russia like?"

"Well I lived with my grandparents. They're one of the wealthiest socialite couples in Russia. I've been homeschooled from the time I was five. My grandparents traveled a lot and they brought me with them most of the time. They paid for private tutors who could come with us on our travels and so I wouldn't have to go to a public school. I didn't really interact with kids my own age until I was nine. Most of the people in their neighborhood were over 50 so there weren't many kids around for me to play with. That's when I started gymnastics. I was a few years behind the other girls, but I caught up quickly. I got into photography when I was 10 years old. My neighbor bought me a professional camera for my birthday and he showed me how to use and take care of it. He was a professional photographer for a long time before he moved into my grandparents' neighborhood. He treated me like I was his own grandchild. Other than that, I took ice skating lessons for about two years before quitting. That's about it," I said.

"You're lucky. You were raised in a different country. Some of us here haven't even been outside this state. One of Jacob's sisters is married to a Samoan surfer and the other one is in college. I can only dream of traveling to another country, though I don't think I'd want to do that," Embry said.

"Why not? It's fun to travel, but it's also a little expensive. Italy is one of the most expensive places I've ever been to," I said.

"I'd get a little lonely if I were to travel alone," Embry replied. I shrugged and agreed with him.

We reached First Beach shortly afterwards. Quil challenged me to a race to the water, which I gladly accepted. I was a little bit faster than him and beat him in a last minute sprint. He reached the edge a little out of breath and demanded a rematch. Again we raced and again I beat him. I raced Embry to a piece of driftwood and back. It was a close race, but I won in the end. Seth tripped when we raced, so that didn't count as a win. He was fine by it and let Jacob have his turn at racing me. Jacob smirked at me and braced himself. I mirrored his actions and waited for Embry to say go. At his word, Jacob and I sprinted to the piece of driftwood. We got there at the same time and turned around. I was just barely ahead of Jacob when I got a pain in my side. I gasped and slowed down a little bit. I tried to push on, but I couldn't and Jacob beat me.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"Just a little stitch, I'll be fine in a moment. Let's head home, it's getting late," I said.

The walk home was loud and full of laughter. Seth and I told jokes to the others, some of which were a little dirty for a 14 year old boy, but I wasn't too concerned about it. If Seth hung around Quil and Embry, I figured, he's probably already been exposed to a dirty joke or two. After a rather weird joke that Quil told us and had to explain to me, there was an awkward silence. Seth and I hung back from Quil, Embry and Jake. After another minute of silence, I got an idea. I turned to Seth and a finger on my lips in a request for silence. He smirked and nodded. I tensed my muscles, then ran at Jacob, jumping at the last minute.

"Ah! Melody, get off me!"

"But I want a piggy back ride," I pleaded. I heard him sigh and Quil, Embry, and Seth laugh.

"Shut up," Jake said, but he didn't let me down. He carried me all the way to my house and set me down on my front porch. I gave him a hug, yelled good bye to the boys, and went inside. Dad was on the phone when I walked into the kitchen.

"Are you sure? Do you know where she could be?" A brief paused ensued. "Okay Charlie. I'm on my way." Charlie? As in Chief Swan?

"What's going on Dad?" I asked. He put the phone down and turned to me.

"Bella Swan is missing."

_Ooh, a cliffhanger! I'll post the next chapter real soon if you review._


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, so this is a slightly shorter chapter. I wasn't really sure how to end it so hopefully I did a good job. Some people have been asking if this is before Jacob, Quil, and Embry all became werewolves and to confirm it, yes it is. So, without further ado, I present the third chapter! I only own Melody and her dad._

**Chapter 3**

Melody's POV

"Are you sure she's missing, Dad?" I asked. We were in the car on our way to Charlie's house to help search for Bella.

"Absolutely. Charlie said he got home a while ago and that the house was empty. Bella left a note saying she was going for a walk with her boyfriend Edward Cullen. Do you know of him?" I shook my head no. "Anyway, Bella didn't come home and Charlie called Billy and a few others to help look for her. He called me just as you got home to ask for my help," Dad explained. A silence settled over us until we reached Charlie's house. There were four other cars parked outside. Charlie was in the middle of a group of people talking at once. Dad shouted out and Charlie turned. He was tall and pale with brown hair and brown eyes. He broke away from the group as we got closer.

"Charlie, this is my daughter Melody. She's here to help look for Bella," Dad said. Charlie looked at me and gave me a weary smile.

"Thank you for coming," he said. I nodded back.

"Dad said Bella left you a note. Can I see it?" I asked. Charlie nodded and went inside. Dad moved to go talk to the other men there. There were three boys standing in their own circle. They were all tall and dark with short cropped black hair. The tallest was standing with his back to me, so I couldn't see his face. He was talking with the shortest boy in the trio, who called him Sam. The last boy was staring at me. There was no hostility in his eyes, only curiosity. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring. Charlie came out then and I composed my face to a blank mask. He handed me the note and I read it. It was standard, saying what she would be doing and with who.

"What does Bella look like, Charlie?" I asked as I read the note.

"She's pale, paler than me. She has long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and about medium height," Charlie said. I thought for a moment.

"May I borrow your flashlight please? And where is the path?" He gave me his flashlight and pointed me in the direction of the woods.

"I have my phone on me, so if I find her I'll call you," I said. Charlie nodded, looking a bit tense. I gave him a soft smile and started up the path.

One thing I didn't tell Dad about my life in Russia was that I had a hunting license. He would probably have a heart attack if he knew. Not to brag, but I was an exceptional hunter and an even better tracker. This skill came in handy as I slowly entered the forest. I got close to the ground to look for a footprint. It was hard to find one even with a flashlight, but I spotted a fold in the grass near a tree. I looked to the direction the foot was pointed in and I started walking. Occasionally I got close to the ground to see if I was still on the right track. All the while I was shouting Bella's name to see if she would respond. At one point I didn't have to get close to the ground to see where Bella went. There were broken tree branches and dug up roots where I guessed Bella had tripped. I took a sudden turn and found Bella lying against a tree.

"Bella, can you hear me?" I asked in a soft voice. She turned her head. Her eyes stayed fixed on me, but didn't quite see me. I scooted closer to her and saw that her eyes were partially glazed over.

"Bella I think you can hear me. My name's Melody. I'm going to help you get home. Charlie's worried about you," I said. Bella's eyes flickered for a moment when I said Charlie's name. A twig snapped and I was immediately on alert.

"Who's there?" I asked, my voice trembling a little bit. There was a silhouette making its way towards me. I stood in front of Bella and waited for the person to come closer. It was the tall boy that I saw at Charlie's house.

"Who are you?" I asked. His dark eyes stared at me.

"Sam Uley. Who are you?" He said in an even tone.

"Melody Jones. I remember you. You were in Charlie's yard just now," I said. He nodded. I moved so that he could see Bella.

"Can you carry her? She's too heavy for me," I asked. He nodded and walked to Bella. He lifted her gently and slowly as I pulled out my phone.

"Charlie? Yeah, I found her. Sam Uley is with me. We'll be at the house in a few minutes," I said. I ended the call and looked at Sam. He seemed to be carrying Bella as if she were a rag doll.

"Ready?" I asked. He nodded and let me lead the way out. I turned on my flashlight and parted a tree branch for him. He walked ahead a little bit, then waited for me to push aside another branch. We continued like this until we found the path leading to the house. Sam hurried forward and I hung back. The men saw us coming and ran to Sam. I followed behind Sam at a slower pace so as not to be in the way. I saw Bella's lips move and tried to make out what she said, but my view was blocked. I saw Charlie come forward and take Bella from Sam. I walked over to Dad, who was searching for me. He hugged me and led me inside after Charlie. He was setting Bella on the couch when we walked in.

"Charlie where do you keep your blankets?" I asked him.

"In the cupboard at the top of the stairs," he replied. I brushed past Sam to get to the stairs. On way down he grabbed my arm.

"How did you find Bella?" he asked. I yanked my arm away from his grasp.

"You have to be able to track someone in order to find them," I said in a snippy tone. The boy who was staring at me earlier growled. Sam held up his hand for silence.

"Easy, Paul. And how did you come to be a tracker?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. How did you appear out of nowhere when we were in the woods? I didn't hear you at all," I said. He went silent. I walked to the couch where Bella was lying and covered her gently with the blankets I grabbed. Her eyes followed me as I moved. I smiled at her and left her side. Dad was saying goodbye to Charlie as I approached them. They both looked at me.

"I want to thank you for finding Bella. Without you and Sam Uley, she probably would've been out there for a lot longer than she was," Charlie said, sounding relieved.

"Don't mention it Charlie. I'm just glad we got to her before she got seriously hurt," I replied. Charlie smiled and nodded at me. Dad touched my shoulder and led me out the house. I could feel eyes on me as I left and turned my head. The boy who growled at me, Paul I think, was staring at me again. I raised my eyebrows at him and waited for him to make a move. He looked away and I was glad for that.

It didn't occur to me until I was in my bed at home to ask where Edward Cullen had gone and why he had left Bella.

_I'm glad I got some more reviews, but I'm a greedy person. Just a few more would make me happy. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. What should I improve on? _


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was out in the middle of nowhere for a week with crappy Wi-Fi. Here's the fourth chapter! I'll try and post the fifth one as soon as possible. Disclaimer: I only own Melody and her father._

**Chapter 4**

Melody's POV

I started school the Monday after the "Bella incident," as Dad called it. He dropped me off at the front office and promised to pick me up when school ended. Then he drove away and I was left alone. I couldn't help but think that if Seth or Jacob were with me, they would be making me laugh. I got my schedule and walked to my first class.

As expected, some people were staring at me. Scratch that, _a lot_ of people were staring at me. I felt self-conscious and hid my face behind my curly brown hair. Dad had warned me that some people would be mean to me because of who my mother was. An outsider, someone without Quileute blood. I didn't know how well I would be treated here and I was a little scared. I didn't interact with many kids my age when I was in Russia so I'm not very good with my people skills. Kill me now.

"Melody!" someone shouted. I turned around and saw Jacob walking towards me. I grinned when I saw him.

"You're a life saver, you know that?" I said giving him a hug. He laughed and released me.

"I know. Where are you headed?" he asked, grabbing my schedule.

"Biology, hmm? I have that now, too. In fact, it looks like we have the exact same schedule."

"I swear, that office lady is amazing," I said in relief. Jacob grinned and took my arm.

"Come on, let's get to class. It's best not to be late to Mr. Smith's class," he said. I laughed as he practically dragged me to biology. The class was pretty empty, but was filling up fast. I gave the teacher my note and sat at a laboratory table next to Jacob near the back. He leaned towards me as I sat in my seat.

"How good are you at biology? Because I'm terrible," he whispered. I laughed.

"You have the honor of sitting next to the biology wizard. I hope you can keep up with me," I said. He bowed at me in his seat and I had to muffle my laughter so the teacher wouldn't hear me. A girl looked at me over her shoulder with a calculating expression. I gave her a small smile and she turned away from me. Jacob watched this exchange with surprise.

"Wow. Normally Sarah doesn't give anyone but her cronies and her boyfriend a second thought. You must be really special," he said.

"I'm not special. I'm just an ordinary girl from another country. It's not like I'm an alien," I said, a little annoyed. Jacob saw this and rubbed my shoulders.

"Don't worry. People here aren't normally aggressive. You should get along with them just fine." I shrugged under his hands and waited for class to begin.

Mr. Smith was surprised to find that I was ahead of the class by at least three units. Unsure of what to do with me, he had me grade papers from his other classes while he talked about cell structure. He would occasionally look at me to see how far I had progressed. When he passed out worksheets for the class to do, he had me go back to my seat and help Jacob with the work. Jacob was very happy with this arrangement and eagerly started asking questions on the work. All the while I could feel Sarah's eyes penetrating my skin. I stared at her once to see what she would do. She dropped her gaze after a minute and resumed her work.

The rest of the morning passed in a similar fashion. My teachers would quiz me on what I knew about their classes and would set me up with work to do until they figured out what to do with me. And in every single one of my classes there was always at least one person staring at me. The boy in geometry ogled my butt as I passed him before class started. His neighbor, who I assume was also his girlfriend, smacked his arm for staring at me. Then there was a girl in English who glared at my head all throughout class. I guess it was because Ms. Reese partnered me with Jacob for the classwork we were doing. Even I had to admit that Jacob was gorgeous.

I was glad when lunch came around. We had an hour for lunch and everyone in the school was squished in the small cafeteria. I saw some people sitting outside in the courtyard through the floor to ceiling windows. Jacob led me through the line and explained which foods were okay and which ones I wanted to avoid at all costs. I laughed when he pretended to gag at the chicken pot pie put on his plate by a cafeteria lady. After paying for our lunches we headed for the glass doors leading outside. Since we were sophomores we weren't technically allowed to be outside, but Jacob said no one cared who ate outside.

"Quil! Embry!" Jacob screamed. Said boys were sitting under a tree and had saved us two spots in the sunnier portion of shade. I asked to Jacob to hold my tray as I ran towards them. Halfway there I did a cartwheel and a back flip to finish. Embry applauded and Quil wolf whistled as I landed at their feet.

"Hey boys," I said, a little breathless. Embry laughed at me.

"Hello beautiful. How is your first day going?" he asked.

"Fabulous," I said, taking off my sweater. "If you don't count that my teachers have no idea what to do with me and everyone keeps staring at me. Oh by the way Jake," I looked to Jacob, "that girl who sits two rows behind us in English? I think she likes you."

"How can you tell?" Jacob asked, looking a little embarrassed. Quil and Embry were shaking with laughter.

"Maybe it's the adoring look she gave you when you walked in the room. Or the fact that she nearly burned a hole in my head with her glaring. I can't really tell," I said, pretending to think about it. Quil and Embry were now rolling around and Jacob was beet red.

"Aww, Jacob has an admirer," Quil said with tears in his eyes.

"Did she write you a love letter?" Embry asked, narrowly avoiding Jacob's fist.

"Shut up, you idiots," Jacob said. I laughed with Quil and Embry as Jake's face got redder by the minute. I picked up my tray and walked back inside to throw it away. I weaved my way through the tables to find the trashcan. I spotted it and walked purposefully towards it. Unfortunately for me, the girl from English saw me and backed away from her table causing my foot to connect with the leg of her chair. I could feel myself falling forward and closed my eyes. A pair of hands grabbed my waist just before I hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" said a deep voice. I opened my eyes and turned my head and saw Paul whatever-his-last-name-is. He helped me stand up and I nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for catching me," I said. He nodded back.

"No problem. You're the new girl, right?" he asked. I bent down to pick up my trash and found him doing the same thing.

"How'd you guess?" I asked in a wry tone. He laughed.

"You have the palest face here. I'm Paul," he said, holding out his hand.

"Melody. And you informally met me when we were at Charlie Swan's house a few days ago," I said, shaking his hand. He pulled away, looking sheepish.

"I don't remember that," he said.

"I do. If my memory serves me right, you growled at me." I laughed as he turned red. "So you do remember me."

"It's not something I want to repeat," Paul said. He stared at me for a moment then looked away.

"I guess I'll see you around," I said, heading toward the glass doors. Paul grabbed my hand.

"Don't go please. Let me walk you to class," he said, a pleading look in his eyes. I felt a little uncomfortable a being stared at so intensely.

"I don't know Paul. . ."

"Melody!" Jacob, Quil, and Embry were making their way towards Paul and I. Their gazes turned hostile when they saw Paul with me.

"Come on. It's almost time for class," Jacob said. He glared at Paul.

"I've got to go, Paul. I'll see you around," I said. I gave Paul a soft smile and turned towards Embry, who gave me my backpack. I could feel Paul's eyes on me as Jacob put his arm around my shoulders. He led me towards the hall with a final glare at Paul. I smacked his arm as soon as we were out of earshot.

"You're really territorial, you know that?" He sighed in frustration.

"I know and I'm sorry. It's just that I don't trust Paul. Or his friend Jared."

"Or Sam Uley?" Jacob stared at me in surprise. "I figured if you don't like Paul or Jared then you wouldn't like Sam."

"Have you met Sam, Melody?" Jacob asked. I shrugged.

"Only once. He was at Charlie Swann's house the night Bella went missing. He helped me get her back to the house. He seemed a little surprised that I found Bella before he did," I said. Jake nodded and continued walking to our next class. I shook my head and followed him.

I will never understand boys.

_Did you like it, did you hate it? These are the questions that haunt me. REVIEW!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I realized that this school year is kicking the crap out of me and that my teachers are giving boatloads of homework. So I decided that I'm going to try and post a new chapter every week or so. Right now, I think I'll be able to put up the second chapter by next Sunday (not tomorrow but a week from tomorrow). Maybe if you guys review my story and give me constructive criticism then I'll update sooner (hint hint). Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does._

**Chapter 5**

Melody's POV

After the confrontation in the cafeteria, Jacob was silent and moody. I tried to get him to talk, but nothing worked. Eventually I figured out that Jacob needed his space and left him alone. I felt pretty alone after that, even though Quil and Embry had Spanish, Computer Tech, and Gym with us.

Dad picked me up as he said he would and went through a series of questions about how my day was. He was glad to hear that I had Jacob, Quil, and Embry in my classes. I guess he was worried that I wouldn't make many friends on my first day. He beamed proudly when I told him that I was ahead in all my classes and that I knew most of what my teachers were teaching us. It was just what any dad would do. Though he frowned when he heard about Jacob's reaction to Paul.

"I don't know anything about Jacob's feelings towards him, but Paul is a good kid. He may look like a bad kid on the outside, but he and his friends are honest people. They're very respected by the elders of this community and they've never done anything to look suspicious." He frowned as he talked.

"He seemed pretty nice to me. He saved me from falling today in the cafeteria," I told him. He gave a sneaky glance and smirked. I understood immediately.

"It's not like that, Dad. I just met him today." I could feel my cheeks burning.

Dad wasn't fooled. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, honey." His shoulders shook silently as he struggled to keep from laughing. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to my window.

The rest of the week passed by in a similar fashion. I would get up, eat breakfast, and Dad would drive me to school. I would sit bored in my classes and try to prevent any fights from happening between Jacob and Paul during lunch. They didn't go near each other most of the time, but I caught them glaring at each other once or twice when they thought I wasn't looking. Even though it's annoying it kind of makes sense since Jake is like a brother to me and doesn't want me to get hurt. Paul and I talked every day which Jacob didn't like at all (it's my choice who I hang out with anyway so I don't see why I need his permission in the first place). My dad smiled whenever he saw me on the phone with Paul. He seemed like the only one who didn't have anything bad to say about my friendship with Paul. That included Quil and Embry.

Friday after school ended Dad drove me to the beach. I had asked him to bring my photography equipment with him when he picked me up. I grabbed my stuff from the back of his car and sat up front with him.

"Why do you want to go to the beach today? It's raining," he asked as I checked over my camera's memory. I sighed and put my camera down.

"I know it's raining and that's why I want to go to the beach. Now, before you say anything," I said, interrupting him, "I have my raincoat and boots. I want to take some pictures of the forest to send to Grandpa. He asked me to see some pictures of the local plant life," I explained.

"Then why are you going when it's wet and slippery outside?" A crease appeared on Dad's forehead.

"This is the perfect weather for me to work in. On a normal, sunny day, the sunlight would reflect into my camera's lenses and blind me. Out in the rain the light is just bright enough so that I can have a clear picture and keep my eyesight. Any other person would say that I'm crazy and would go on a sunny day, but my eyes are sensitive to light and need to be taken care of," I said defensively. Dad got an 'ah ha!' look on his face and kept driving.

When we reached the beach, he pointed out the tree line and told me I waved as he drove home with my schoolbooks in his trunk and made my way to the trees. The rain turned to a light drizzle, but the sky remained gray and dreary. A fine mist hung near the tops of the trees. I walked through the forest for a bit before finding a flat stone to put my equipment together. It was smooth, round, and gray flecked with black and blue. There was a thick layer of moss covering most of the surface. I set my bag down on top of it and unzipped the top. I quickly grabbed my camera, a memory card, and a ball of red string before zipping it back up. I unraveled some of the string and tied it around a tree branch. Then I started walking.

******* (174638) *******

Paul's POV

I couldn't get that girl out of my head. _Melody._ Her name was like a song that played over and over in my head. When we were at Chief Swann's house, she was cool and composed, showing little emotion. And the first day she came to school she was nervous and timid, but open around Jacob Black and his friends. And the more I got to know her, the more I fell for her. Sam told about when he imprinted on his fiancée, Emily. He said it was like seeing the sunrise in a clear sky. He was right. The moment I saw Melody, I knew I wanted her to myself and no one else.

Everything about her amazes me. Her skin, not pale, but not dark either. Her hair, dark and curly, going just past her shoulders. She has it pulled back in a single braid down her back most days, but when it's out, her curls bounce up and down with every move. Her eyes are a beautiful combination of blue, grey, and hazel. They always have a spark to them, like she's hiding something. And when we talk over the phone, I can imagine her eyes lighting up at the mention of photography. She is passionate about her hobby and I love to see her so happy. I love her voice the most. It is soft and smooth, like silk. And when she laughs, truly, her whole face lights up like the Fourth of July. I want to be the one who makes her laugh till she cries out of joy.

"Earth to Paul. We have patrols to do, remember?" Jared said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I shook my head a little and tried to focus. School had ended and we were outside the school by Jared's car. I caught myself staring at Melody as she got into her dad's car. I watched as she took out her camera bag and replaced it with her backpack before climbing back into the front seat. They drove off a moment later and Jared made a noise in disgust. I glared at him.

"What's with you this week? You always have this weird look on your face and you're always talking with that girl we saw at Chief Swann's house."

"Her name is Melody," I said, half growling. The way Jared said her name; it was like saying a curse.

"Whatever. What is with you, man? You never used to get so defensive over a girl." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Do you want to be late for patrols?" I asked, annoyed. Jared just shook his head and climbed into the driver's seat. We drove to Emily's place in silence. I stared out the window watching the trees blur together as we drove by. When we finally reached Emily's house, I was out of the car and at the door before Jared pulled the key out of the ignition. The door was open so I just let myself in. Emily never locked the door, anyway.

The smell of muffins hit my nose as soon as I was inside. I could hear Jared coming close behind me. Emily was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. There was a cooling rack with blueberry muffins on the counter behind her. She must have heard me come because she lifted her head the moment I walked in the door. Emily smiled at me and got up to give me a hug. I'm not one for hugs, but Emily gave me hugs anyway. I let her hug me because I didn't want to offend her and get yelled at by Sam. Speaking of which . . .

"Where's Sam, Emily?" I asked.

"I'm here." Sam stepped into the kitchen from another door. He was frowning.

"You're late," he said. Emily was fighting to keep a blank look on her face and losing. Sam looked at her and instantly softened up. He turned back to me and glared.

"Where were you?" Jared slipped past me to grab a muffin off the rack.

"Lover boy here was staring at the new girl again," he said before stuffing half of the muffin in his mouth. I glared at him and he shrugged. Sam raised an eyebrow at me and didn't say anything.

"Get your head out of the clouds, Paul. We have to make sure those vampires don't break the treaty," he finally said. I nodded and followed him out of the house with Jared close behind. We entered the woods and walked for a bit before taking off our shoes. At a nod from Sam I shifted. I concentrated for a moment and then my body started shaking. I could feel my muscles expanding and growing bigger by the second. My skin was replaced by dark silver fur and was I vaguely aware of a ripping noise. My body stopped shaking and I opened my eyes. I shook myself for a moment to get used to my wolf body.

_Alright, enough lolly gagging. Jared, go by the town and make sure nothing's happening. Paul, go check the beach. I'll run by the border, _Sam thought to Jared and I. We didn't have to ask which border he was checking.We split up and went our separate ways. I headed for the beach like Sam told me to and tried to stay out of sight. I was surprised by what I saw.

Melody was crouched down on the ground with her camera in her hand. She had her camera angled towards a flower with white petals. For a moment, I saw everything clearly: her hand twisting the lens to zoom in on the flower, the way she tilted her head when she took the picture. She took the camera away from her face to check the picture. Her hand moved to push back the hair that had gotten in her eyes and I felt my breath catch. I never wanted to move from this spot, but I had to. I whined softly, and turned in another direction, leaving Melody to her thoughts.

******* (174638) *******

Melody's POV

I lifted my head from the camera. I looked around the spot I had chosen. There was nothing near me except the trees and the bushes. I could've sworn I heard something just a minute ago. _Oh well,_ I thought, shrugging my shoulders. I put my camera back in my bag and walked back to the clearing.


End file.
